Statement made on 10 June 2010 by Senator Pierrette Ringuette
Hon. Pierrette Ringuette:
Honourable senators, I wish to speak in support of Bill C-288, introduced by Senator Rivest.
Honourable senators, Bill C-288, which was passed at third reading in the House of Commons, contains some important elements.
Basically, the bill has to do with recent graduates and grants them tax credits of up to $8,000 over a period of three years. The tax credits could be worth up to $3,000 a year, with a maximum of $8,000 over three years.
As a senator from New Brunswick, I can attest to the fact that small towns and communities are facing an exodus of young people who are moving to larger centres. Whether in the forestry, agriculture, mining or agri-food sector, our communities are being deprived of their talent because we are not paying more attention to this issue.
Thus, I believe that Bill C-288, presented by Senator Rivest, is an attempt to pay more attention to remote communities by providing tax credits to recent graduates who settle in these areas to begin their careers and contribute, both socially and economically, to the future of those small communities.
For decades, we have been focusing on tax credits, repayable loans or other types of incentives to bring businesses and industries to remote regions, without thinking about the human resources these businesses need in order to contribute to the economy of those communities.
The Province of Quebec, among others, has experience with this type of tax credit to encourage new graduates to settle in specific remote regions designated by Quebec's finance minister. The purpose of Bill C-288 is similar. It asks the Minister of Finance to designate the specific regions that will benefit from these incentives.
When I talk about communities, I am not just talking about rural communities and small towns. I am also talking about Aboriginal communities that could also benefit from the return of their energetic and talented young people.
Just look at the medical field where, for years, there have been long lineups in emergency rooms and a shortage of qualified staff. This would be another way of helping not only our new graduates, but also our communities.
I have looked into this and found that the Province of Saskatchewan also had a similar tax credit program that offered up to $20,000 in tax credits for new graduates over a period of seven years. Getting a university degree, regardless of the discipline, is becoming more and more expensive for our young people. Most leave university with an exorbitant debt. They have to settle in a community to start their career and cover the costs of housing and a vehicle and so on.
I think it is high time we ensured that our new graduates have opportunities in our regions to help our businesses and help our communities both socially and economically.
It is important to remember that for decades we have been helping our industries without considering that they also need adequate and even outstanding human resources to secure their future in our remote regions.
Honourable senators, I therefore support Bill C-288, presented by Senator Rivest, without any reservations whatsoever.
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